Apparatus for atomizing liquids



June 6 1967 w. RUTH 39323,)6@

APPARATUS FOR ATOMIZING LIQUIDS Filed June 3 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet l EMUENTO [d:

June 6, 1957 W. ROTH APPARATUS FOR ATGMIZING LIQUIDS .5 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 2, 196

W. ROTH June 6, 1967 APPARATUS FOR ATOMIZING LIQUIDS 3 Sheetsheet Filed June 2, 1966 United States Patent O 3,323,686 APPARATUS EUR ATMIZlNG LIQUIDS Willy Roth, Strengelbach, Switzerland, assigner to .1. R. Geigy ALG., Basel, Switzerland Filed .lune 2, 1966, Ser. No. 554,882 Claims priority, application Switzerland, June 4, 1965, 7,879/ 65 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-193) The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for atomizing liquids comprising a liquid container and, either inside or outside said container, a cartridge lled with a propellant and closed by a valve, the top of the container being provided with an air vent and with an atomizer head comprising a siphon extending to the container iloor and a blowing duct leading to the valve.

In the context of the present specification a cartridge for a propellant is understood to be a pressure-tight container which does not exceed in capacity the s1ze of pressure-tight containers which, under existing legal regulations, must be individually submitted to a pressure and stability test. The cartridge contemplated may therefore be a container ofA a capacity not exceeding 1000 cubi-c centimeters. By iilling such a pressure container or ca rtridge with a propellant and by iilling the liquid that 1s to be atomized into a container within or alongside which the cartridge is placed, a convenient apparatus for atomizing liquids is obtained which may hold for instance two to three liters of liquid, i.e. a volume which is still easy to Ilift for spraying.

Apparatuses for atomizing a liquid of the above described type are as such well-known in the art. However, they have the drawback that the air vent and/or the orice at the end of the suction line or Siphon are open, and that the liquid to be atomized lcan leak out or evaporate during transportation and storage.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide an impoved apparatus for atomizing liquids which overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior alt devices.

Another signiiicant and more specific object of this invention relates to the provision of an improved apparatus for atomizing liquids which safeguards against spillingout and/or evaporation of the contents, while still ensuring for reliable atomization of such contents when desired.

Still a further noteworthy object of the present invention is directed to an improved construction of liquid-atomizing apparatus which is relatively simple in construction, highly reliable in operation, economical to manufacture, protects against premature loss of the fluid contents, and facilitates handling and transportation of such apparatus.

The present invention solves the aforementioned problem and implements the stated objects in a very simple and convenient way by providing an improved apparatus for atomizing liquids in which the propellant cartridge is closed by a high pressure valve and the container for the liquid is provided vwith a tiltable cover which normally keeps the orifice of the Siphon and the air vent closed, but which is capable of being raised or opened against the force or resistance of a spring to iirst open or free the air vent and the orifice of the siphon and then the valve.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and drawings in which:

FIGURE l is an elevational section of a preferred embodiment of inventive apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational section on a larger scale of the upper portion of the apparatus of FIGURE l including the closure cap, showing the tiltable cover in a position in which all ducts and orifices are open; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus showing the tiltable cover closed.

3,323,686 Patented June 6, 1967 Referring now to the drawings, the exemplary embodiment of apparatus shown comprises a suitable container 1 for a liquid and `which is preferably of sufficient size to hold about 2 to 3 liters. This container 1 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration and at the top it is provided with a handle 2. Naturally, the container lmight also have an elliptical or a circular conguration. Directly adjacent to the handle 2 is a closure portion or cap, generally indicated by reference numeral 3. This cap 3 may be attached to the container 1 by a bayonet catch or screw joint 4, or any other appropriate fastening means may be provided.

The interior of the cap 3 is formed with a downwardly projecting collar or sleeve 5 having an internal lip 6 for holding a pressure-tight inner pressure container 7 filled with a propellant. This pressure container 7 is what is technically known as a cartridge, meaning that its capacity is less than that of containers which must be individually submitted to a pressure and stability test and bear a test control number. These cartridges 7 are usually filled only once and then thrown away. The illustrated cartridge 7 is closed by a high pressure valve 8 which may be of any conventional or novel design. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, it incorporates a valve housing or body 10 located centrally in a cover 9 which is beaded over a rim 7a of the cartridge 7 and provides a pressure-tight joint containing a seal 22. The valve body 1t) has a collar 10a held by a neck 9a in the cover 9. A further seal 22 is interposed between the cover 9 and the collar 10a.

Inside the valve housing or body 10 is a valve head 11 urged by a spring 12 onto a valve seat 10b. A bore 16e opening at the valve seat 10b contains an axially slidable valve stem 13, snilicient clearance being provided. Bore 10c communicates with a horizontal blowing duct or conduit 14 provided at its free end with a suitable nozzle 1S which, together with the mouthpiece or orifice 16 of a Siphon or suction line 17, forms a convention-al type of jet atomizer. The siphon 17 extends from the cap 3 downwards to the iloor 1a of the container 1, preferably ending at a point diagonally opposite the handle 2, to thereby ensure that the .last drop of liquid will be extracted when the container 1 is loosely held by its handle 2 in a slightly tilted position in which the bottom end of the siphon is at the lowest point in such container.

The cap 3 further contains a vent or opening 18 which provides communication between the: ambient and the interior of the container 1. Moreover, cap 3 is surmounted by a tiltable cover 21 which. is rockable about a hinge 20 against the force or resistance of a suitable spring 19. This cover 21 is shown closed in FIGURES 1 and 3 and open in FIGURE 2. It will be understood from the drawings in FIGURES l and 2 that the tiltable cover 21 is formed with a hood or skirt 21a for closing the outlet orifice 16 of the Siphon 17 and a further closure 2lb for the outer end of the air venting hole 18. When the tiltable cover 21 is held by the spring 19 in closed position, these two openings 16, 18 will therefore each be tightly and reliably sealed. These openings are uncovered as soon as the tiltable cover 21 is tipped up against the resistance of the spring 19 by thumb pressure on the end 21e of the cover 21 adjacent the handle 2. When the cover 21 has been partly raised it makes contact with the valve stem 13, as will be understood from the drawings, depressing this stem and thereby opening the valve 8 as the cover 21 continues to be further raised. On the other hand, as soon as the cover 21 is released, it is at once returned by the spring 19 from the position shown in FIGURE 2 into the position illustrated in FlGURES l and 3, first releasing the valve stem 13 and permitting the valve spring 12 to reclose the high pressure valve 8 and then resealing the oriice 16 of the siphon 17 and the air vent 18.

The depicted apparatus can be relled by detaching the cap 3 from the container 1, iilling the container with the liquid to be atomized, removing the cartridge 7 from beneath the cap and replacing the same by a fresh cartridge. As soon as the cap 3 has been aixed to the top of the container 1, the apparatus is ready for further use.

While there is shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for atomizing liquids, comprising:

-a liquid contain-er,

a cartridge filled With a propellant cooperating with said liquid container,

valve means for closing said cartridge,

said liquid container including a top portion which is provided with an air vent and an atomizer head,

said atomizer head comprising a Siphon extending approximately to the bottom of said liquid container and a blowing duct leading to said valve means, said siphon having a discharge orifice,

tiltable cover means provided for said liquid container and normally closing said discharge orifice of said Siphon and said air vent,

means for normally maintaining said tiltable cover means in closed position,

said tiltable cover means being displaceable against the force of said maintaining means into a position which first frees said air vent and discharge orice of said Siphon and thereafter said valve means.

2. An apparatus for atomizing liquids as defined in claim 1, further including a cap for closing the top portion of said liquid container, said cap being provided with said air vent, said atomizer head including said blowing duct and said siphon, said cap carrying said tiltable cover means, an actuating member contained at said cap for operating said valve means, said propellant cartridge being attached to the inside of said cap.

3. An apparatus for atomizing liquids as dened in claim 2, wherein said actuating member is a valve stein capable of being displaced through tilting movement of said tiltable cover means.

4. An apparatus for atomizing liquids as defined in claim 1, wherein said valve means comprises a high pressure valve unit.

5. An apparatus for atomizing liquids as del-ined in claim 1, wherein said means for normally maintaining said tiltable cover means in closed position comprises at least one spring member.

' 6. An apparatus for atomizing liquids as defined in claim 1, wherein said propellant cartridge is disposed internally of said liquid container, and means for det-achably suspending said propellant cartridge within said liquid container.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 5/1963 France. 11/1962 Great Britain. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR ATOMIZING LIQUIDS, COMPRISING: A LIQUID CONTAINER, A CARTRIDGE FILLED WITH A PROPELLANT COOPERATING WITH SAID LIQUID CONTAINER, VALVE MEANS FOR CLOSING SAID CARTRIDGE, SAID LIQUID CONTAINER INCLUDING A TOP PORTION WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH AN AIR VENT AND AN ATOMIZER HEAD, SAID ATOMIZER HEAD COMPRISING A SIPHON EXTENDING APPROXIMATELY TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID LIQUID CONTAINER AND A BLOWING DUCT LEADING TO SAID VALVE MEANS, SAID SIPHON HAVING A DISCHARGE ORIFICE, TILTABLE COVER MEANS PROVIDED FOR SAID LIQUID CONTAINER AND NORMALLY CLOSING SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICE OF SAID SIPHON AND SAID AIR VENT, MEANS FOR NORMALLY MAINTAINING SAID TILTABLE COVER MEANS IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID TILTABLE COVER MEANS BEING DISPLACEABLE AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID MAINTAINING MEANS INTO A PISTON WHICH FIRST FREES SAID AIR VENT AND DISCHARGE ORIFICE OF SAID SIPHON AND THEREAFTER SAID VALVE MEANS. 